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Pitbull scoffs before spitting a mouthful of blood at my feet, then he finally turns and disappears through the thick crowd.
“You,” Cole says, pointing an angry finger at me, forcing my attention back to him. “Get your ass out of here before I fucking take you down myself.”
Shit. I’m going to pay for that.
Chapter 19
CHARLI
I stand in the salon, working on a new client’s hair. As soon as she sat down, she couldn’t wait to tell me that her name is Bri and that her twin brother, Bobby, plays for the Dragons and is good friends with Xander. I’m pretty sure I met the guy the other night at the fight, but there were a lot of people and a shitload more alcohol. The girl seems nice and has been telling me all about some guy, Carter, who apparently is dynamite in bed. Although, I’m sure she doesn’t truly understand the meaning of a man being dynamite in bed, unless she’s ever been with Xander Phillips. But that’s never going to happen now.
The last few days have been blissful. Living with Xander and starting our lives together, loving life at the salon and Micky’s, it feels surreal. Xander is a whole new person since getting out from under his parents’ hold. He isn’t so broody anymore, which, don’t get me wrong, his broody side was damn sexy. But the playful, carefree one is even better.
After finishing a wash and blow dry on Brianna’s hair, I send her off feeling as fresh as a daisy with a clubbing date scheduled for Saturday night with her best friend Cassie, who apparently is Jaxon’s girlfriend. Come to think of it, I think I’ve seen them at Micky’s, and they were most likely at that game I went to. Though, I was a bit preoccupied with the sexy slice of heaven down on the ice.
Xander has his final fight in two days, and I have to admit, I’m a wreck. I know he’ll do great. He’s mentally and physically ready. Without a doubt, I know he could take it out, but I can’t help but wonder how far Pitbull is going to take it before Xander gets through with the winning hit.
I’ve watched as many of Pitbull’s recent fights as possible to find out what areas he’s lacking in, but to be honest, I really don’t know what I’m looking for. I’m sure the boys at Rebels Advocate have been studying up on Pitbull to give Xander his best chance, but when it comes down to it, Pitbull fights dirty. He’s brutal and terrifying, and that scares the living shit out of me and leaves me wondering if Xander is going to be quick enough to evade Pitbull’s advances. Or, is Pitbull going to play dirty and beat Xander to a pulp before he has a chance to come through? All I know is that there’s a lot of money on the line, and when money comes into play, people change.
I know Xander has the skill and the will to beat him, but I hope he can stay true to himself. Win the fight without getting dirty, and leave the competition with his head held high. He’ll never forgive himself if he played by Pitbull’s rules and left him permanently injured.
I head out toward the break room when Gina comes striding out of her office, looking down at her iPad, and accidentally walking straight into me. The iPad goes flying, and I stumble around, desperately trying to catch it before it cracks on the tiles.
“Oh, my goodness,” Gina exclaims as I finally get purchase on the iPad. “I’m so sorry, Charli. I’ve been so caught up doing this order.”
“It’s fine,” I say, handing the iPad back with a smile.
Gina glances out to the salon, looking over her stylists and what they’re doing. “How’s it going out there?” she questions.
“Good,” I say. “Zara’s in the middle of a color. There are two style cuts, and I just finished my wash and blow dry.”
“Oh, excellent. What’s your schedule like now?”
“My next client isn’t due for thirty minutes, so I was just going to get some cleaning done,” I explain.
“Don’t be silly,” she says. “Go take your lunch break. I’ll get Steph to clean after her client. You’ve been working off your feet.”
I give her a grateful smile just as my stomach starts to growl. Excellent timing. “Thanks,” I say, ducking into the break room and grabbing my bag. “I’m gonna head down to the café. Can I get you anything?”
Her eyes light up, and I already know what she’s going to say. “A coffee would be great.”
“No problem,” I laugh as I sling my bag over my shoulder. I make my way out of the salon and down the road to fill my stomach. I order a sandwich and Gina’s coffee before playing a game on my phone while I wait.
